


11:59pm

by CapnWinghead



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Birthday Cake, Birthday Fluff, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Post-Avengers (2012)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:35:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25118491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapnWinghead/pseuds/CapnWinghead
Summary: Thor surprises Steve on his birthday.
Relationships: Steve Rogers/Thor
Comments: 14
Kudos: 93





	11:59pm

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my Tumblr for Cap's birthday. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Steve was exhausted.

All day long he’d been rushing from call to call. Apartment fires, supervillain bank robbers, illegal arms trade of alien tech, and a host of calls that ranged from a beloved family cat stuck in a tree to Hydra cells in New Jersey. The phone never stopped ringing. The Avengers were stretched thin, but at the end of the day, Steve didn’t have it in him to regret the Avengers Hotline.

Sure, Steve was created to fight in a world war. Thor’s a god, Iron Man took down terrorist cells, Hulk had taken down Hulk sized threats, Hawkeye and Natasha had been trained to deal with secret, world changing missions Steve never wanted to know about. They were all built for something great, but there was more they could do.

Help didn’t always mean handling world ending threats.

After stopping AIM’s attempt to blow up a meeting of the United Nations, there had been a press conference the Avengers attended. Steve stood beside the others when he felt a tug on his shield. He had looked down to find a small girl, no more than six or seven. She had dark brown skin, dark curls softly framing her face. Her eyes were a bright and curious brown as she stared up at him in wonder.

Smiling, Steve moved off to the side a bit and ducked down. “Hello, my name is Steve.”

Her hands twisted in her dress, her voice soft, “Lily.”

“Oh, that’s a beautiful name,” he replied warmly.

“Thank you,” she whispered, studying him curiously.

Steve scanned the crowd, looking for a harried parent searching for a missing child. “Can I pick you up, sweetheart?” he asked, waiting for a nod before he picked her up and sat her on his hip. The crowd was so thick, so many faces staring back at them. It was rather scary. He could only imagine what it was like for someone so small. “Where are your parents?”

“I don’t know,” she said worriedly, her eyes wide. “They said you help people. Can you help me find them?”

“Of course, I can,” he replied, rubbing her back as he started down the steps of the courthouse.

Thor noticed him leaving and headed down after him, touching his arm. “Got a job,” Steve said with a smile.

Rather amused, Thor stepped forward with a friendly wave. “I see that. You’ve somehow acquired a child.” He made a face at her, earning a sweet laugh. Steve warmed, biting down a smile as Thor continued. “D’you need any help?”

“Yes, actually. You take this,” he handed Thor the shield and held Lily more securely. “Let’s go find your parents.”

They spent about an hour searching. They started in the crowd near the press conference and then circled outward. Lily couldn’t remember where she’d lost them, only that she’d followed a blue butterfly.

“A worthy cause,” Thor chimed in.

“My dads are really scared, aren’t they?” she asked worriedly.

“They’ll be fine once they get you back,” Steve said.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure,” Steve replied firmly.

She nodded, resting her head on his shoulder. “They get scared a lot,” she added. “My Daddy worries a lot. Papa says it’s because he loves me so much.”

“Understandable. You are very cute,” Thor said, earning a smile.

Steve shook his head, stroking her back. “He’s a little charmer.”

“I won’t apologize.”

“Lily! Oh my god!” a voice called out. 

They turned around to find a man racing towards them, clearly panicked. A few paces behind, a man with glasses let out a small sigh of relief before rushing towards them. The panicked one gathered Lily in his arms and held her close, pressing several kisses to her temple and cheeks.

“I’ve been worried sick about you,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “You can’t run off like that, honey. This isn’t Quincy, this is a big city.”

The calmer man, most likely Papa, came forward, shaking Thor and Steve’s hands in thanks. His eyes were soft. “Thank you so much for looking after her.”

“Of course. You’re very welcome. She’s a great kid.”

“She is,” he repeated warmly. “She’s the best thing that ever happened to us.”

After some of the panic calmed, Lily’s other father stepped forward, stills stroking her hair reassuringly. “Thank you both. I know this is, well, not exactly what you normally do. This certainly wasn’t something I could call the Avengers for.”

“Not exactly,” Steve replied with a smile. “But I’m happy to help.”

The men thanked them once more and left, their eyes warm with gratitude. Lily peeked over her father’s shoulder and waved. Steve waved back, an idea forming.

He looked to Thor, “You were good with her.”

Thor shrugged, crossing his arms as they headed back towards the conference. “Children are easy. It’s the adults that are difficult to deal with.”

“Should I be insulted?”

Laughing, Thor shook his head. “Of course not. Difficult is not a word I would ever use to describe you.”

Steve’s face warmed, a nervous flutter in his stomach. From time to time, Thor would say things to him that left him flustered and nervous. A lot like how he’d felt around Peggy – tongue tied and positive he was misinterpreting the spark in Thor’s eye. Steve pushed past it. “That felt good,” he said quietly.

“Job well done.”

“Yes, I know but, it felt really good.” Struggling to find the words, he took his shield back, tracing the edge with his thumb. “Even thought that wasn’t the type of thing we normally do… you saw their faces,” his voice softened, “that meant a lot to them. You ever think about how many people we could help if they just knew how to reach us?”

It took a few weeks, but Steve was able to start the Avengers Hotline. It wasn’t 24/7, even the Avengers needed a break every once in a while. But from time to time, the Hotline was active and for anything the Avengers couldn’t handle personally, they found someone that could. It was advertised all over town: no problem too big, no problem too small. At first, the phone hardly ever rang. Steve would go days where he’d pull a cat from a Tree or Bruce would help a kid with their chemistry homework. Then, the calls started to trickle in. So much so that they’d gotten to the point where they now had people to man the phones.

It was a lot of work, certainly, but they were making a difference. Not only in the lives of the people they helped, but within the Avengers. The team seemed happier, lighter. After all, these calls weren’t life or death – and they’d all seen way too much death in their lives.

Now, Steve dropped his shield on the floor beside the door, lowered his head and rubbing at the slight twinge in his neck. He was bone tired, toeing off his boots as he moved through the hall of his small apartment in the tower. Padding barefoot down the hall, he pulled apart the top of his uniform. On the way home, he’d planned to sleep for the next few days.

He’d just passed the kitchen when a voice called out, “Surprise!”

Startled, Steve spun around to find Thor standing in his kitchen, his face illuminated in warm light. As he neared, Steve realized he was holding something. He carefully pulled his arm away, revealing a double layer cake covered in white frosting. A few lit candles spread across the top.

Ashamedly, it took Steve a few minutes to recall what day it was.

When realization set in, a strange rush of emotions washed over him. “Thor,” he began, his voice soft as he neared. Thor flashed a nervous smile, a dash of flour on his nose squeezed firmly at Steve’s heart, drawing him closer as a helpless smile spread across his face. “You didn’t have to,” he said quietly.

Brow furrowed, Thor set the cake down on the counter. “Of course, I did. I’m just sorry I couldn’t do it earlier in the day.” He pushed a lock of hair behind his ear, meeting Steve’s gaze solidly. “You do so much for everybody else. For the Avengers, for SHIELD, for the hotline. This is one day out of the year when we can take the time to celebrate the wonderful person you are.”

Steve’s chest tightened, lost in Thor’s certainty, his eyes bright blue and honest. Like he really meant the words he was saying, Steve realized. He didn’t know what to say, chewing on his lip as he tried to parse through his feelings. The strange and exhilarating way Thor looked at him like he was something special, something to be treasured. Not left behind or traded for someone better. Thor made him feel seen in a way no one else ever had, and Steve didn’t think he could ever tell him that.

Instead, he returned to the cake, swallowing thickly. It was a little lopsided, but that just added character. Looking closer, Steve realized there were words on it. It read “Happy Birthday, Steve”, but the “e” hadn’t quite made it onto the top and was hanging off the side for dear life.

“I watched one of those, what do you call them? YouTube videos? And, well, hers came out perfectly but the ‘e’ kind of got away from me there,” he explained with a sheepish grin. Steve covered his mouth, warmth expanding in his chest as Thor continued. “It’s still there if you just kind of tilt your head to the side.”

He looked to Steve, his head cocked to the side. Steve couldn’t resist, reaching out to touch Thor’s cheek. Thor’s eyes widened curiously, lighting up as Steve leaned in and gently pressed their lips together. Thor let out a soft sigh, large hands coming up to touch Steve’s waist. Smiling into the kiss, Steve slid his fingers into Thor’s hair, feeling at peace for the first time all day.

Then again, Thor had always made him feel that way.

Steve pulled away, kissing Thor’s cheek and then the dust of flour on his nose. Thor opened his eyes, fond and warm as they traced over Steve’s face. Steve smoothed his thumb over Thor’s cheek with a soft smile.

“Thank you,” he whispered. “It’s perfect.” 

He returned to the cake, smile widening.

Thor wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “Happy Birthday, Steve,” he murmured.


End file.
